The Forum of Federations Handbook on Digitalization in Public Administration of Federal Countries

In this open access book, the editors bring together leading experts from around the globe to examine current trends and key developments concerning digitalization policies and mechanisms in nine federal and decentralized countries. Despite the concept of digitalization gaining momentum amid the rampant employment of technological resources to perform governmental activities in recent years, little has been said about the specific effects of digitalization in federal arrangements. Though there are challenges to advancing digitalization in federal systems, federal countries are also well-positioned to build on policy learning to leverage digital services. Contributors to this volume provide a timely and comprehensive account of the implications of and relationships between intergovernmental relations, collaborative action, the implementation of digital policies, and accountability in federal systems. These individual analyses are then contextualized comparatively to gain a holistic understanding of the challenges and opportunities for the digitalization of public administration in different regions worldwide.

Introductory Chapter-Exploring the dynamics of Digital Transformations in Federations.- Chapter 1-Problems of Digitalization and Transparency in Public Administration in Austria.- Chapter 2-Federalism in Brazil: Digital Governance and the Case of Education.- Chapter 3-The challenges of Developing and Implementing Open Government Policies in a Federal Setting: the case of Canada.- Chapter 4- Digitalization in the German Federal System: Progress at a Snail’s Pace?.- Chapter 5-Digitalization in the Indian Federal System.- Chapter 6-The Implementation of Digital Birth Certificates in Mexico: Enablers, Outcomes, and Lessons Learned.- Chapter 7-The Digital Transformation of the Public Sector in Spain – Successful Intergovernmental Cooperation in a Non-Politicized Area and within the Framework of the EU.- Chapter 8-Digital Transformation and the Swiss Federal System: Shake, Do Not Stir?.- Chapter 9-Intergovernmental Relations in the U.S. Federal System:The Case of Providing Broadband Access for Tribal Communities.- Concluding Chapter-Doing Digital Differently? Comparative Reflections and Directions for Future Research on Digital Public Administration and Federalism.

Eric Champagne is a Full Professor in Public Administration at the School of Political Studies and Director of the Centre on Governance at the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.

Silvana Gomes is a Ph.D. Candidate in Public Administration at the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.

Felix Knuepling is Vice President, Programs at the Forum of Federations (Germany Office), Berlin, Germany.

André Lecours is a Full Professor in the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada. He is also former President of the Canadian Political Science Association, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Jamie M. Thomas is a Program Manager at the Forum of Federations, Ottawa, Canada.

Diana Chebenova is Senior Director, Partnerships at the Forum of Federations, Ottawa, Canada.